Having exceeded the capacity of their current academic and clinical facilities, the University of Missouri-Kansas City has embarked on a project to provide new leading-edge simulation and learning environments for the Schools of Medicine and Dentistry. The new Healthcare Delivery and Innovation Building will provide first-class healthcare and well-being for all users, promote interprofessional collaboration and spearhead the future of UMKC’s programs.

RDG, teamed with Clark & Enersen as the AOR, serves as the lead design architect, health sciences education subject matter expert and planning lead for the interdisciplinary learning environments. Situated on a tight urban site and home to programs with significant facility needs, the new building will leverage the existing resources of adjacent buildings to provide a comprehensive academic and clinical experience for students, faculty and staff. Programmatically, the new facilities will include simulation labs, operating rooms and exam rooms for the School of Medicine students to practice essential medical procedures and patient communication and care. The School of Dentistry will include acute dental programs such as oral surgery, endodontics and emergency procedures, pre-doctoral dental clinics and labs.

The steep grade change of the site offers opportunities to create distinctive programmatic entries that enhance wayfinding, and access and are inviting to the campus and neighboring community. The building’s design provides inclusive gathering spaces, improved performance at the façade, and reflects the innovation at work from the programs inside. The transparent ground floor creates a sense of openness and invitation while the high-performance façade maximizes daylight and reduces energy use in response to solar angles through varied scales of glazing. The materiality of the building allows for visual consistency with the existing campus, but the architectural language helps to establish a unique identity.

Blended funding streams require the project to be completed on an aggressive schedule and the team is assisting UMKC in evaluating options to meet their goals including detailed phasing to complete the project on an active campus. The new Healthcare Delivery and Innovation Building is a significant investment in the future of UMKC that will support its mission of providing innovative healthcare education.